The Elder of the Wood and the Boy of the Squad
by Cristalla Blu
Summary: What if River Dog HAD been Michael's father? M/M, SPOILER WARNING for "River Dog"!!! Read and Review please!


Title: "The Elder of the Wood and the Boy of the Squad"

Disclaimer: Much to my dismay, I own nothing and the prospect doesn't look to promising either.

Category: M/M 

Rating: PG

Author's Note: This takes place during "Into the Woods" (FYI, Michael went with the Evans').  As you will find out, Michael will learn about his powers much differently from the ways they happen throughout the show - I know I'm changing the events - SORRY! 

Also, my other story "The Trials of Love" accidentally got deleted by moi and I so I have to find some time to get it back up – I'll do my best!!!!

Review please!!!

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      "Are you my father?" Michael asked, trying not to show his anxiety.

      River Dog shakily took his place on a log and patted the area, next to him, motioning Michael to sit down.

      "Well?" Michael demanded as he sat down.

      "Yes, my son, I am your father," River Dog said slowly, "I have been waiting so long to tell you, to find you, and now-"

      He was cut off by Michael, "Dad?  You're my dad?"  He tried to keep tears out of his voice, but he was feeling true joy now, joy he'd never felt before, and it overwhelmed him.

      "Michael, I will teach you everything I know, before my death."

      "Death?"  Michael asked. "What are you talking about?"

      "Michael, my time is almost up.  Two moons - I will join my race in the skies."

      "What?"

      "Tomorrow, tomorrow we meet, we talk, we learn."

      Michael nodded, put his guard up again, and walked off, trying to keep his composure at least he was out of his father's line of vision.  Then he started running back to camp.

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      "You have a father?" Isabel asked. "What about me and Max?"

      Michael shrugged and looked over at Maria, who put her arm around him as she said, "This is so great Michael.  This is your way out of loneliness."

      "Naw." he replied.

      "Why?" asked Liz who had been pretty quiet up until then.

      "He said his time was almost up and he was gonna die.  Couple weeks."

      "Oh, Michael, I'm sorry." Maria said trying to wrap her arms around him and hug him, but he squirmed out of her embrace. 

      "It's alright," he said, clearing his throat.

      "You've always got us, Michael." Isabel said.

      "Always." Maria echoed.

      "I'm meeting him tomorrow," Michael said, steering away from the mushy conversation he had never been any good at, "He said he's gonna teach me everything he knows."

      "That's great, Michael."  Liz commented.

      Then there was a long silence as the news sunk into everyone's brains.

      "Is anybody else exhausted?" Michael asked breaking the silence.

      There were a bunch of "yea's" so they decided to head to bed.  Everyone got up, but Max hung back to talk to Michael.

      "We should talk about this more," he said.

      "What?" asked Michael.

      "Meeting River Dog alone."

      "Maxwell, he's my dad, the one and the only and I'm meeting with him no matter what you say-"

      "OK, OK!" Max cried, cutting him off and throwing his hands up in surrender.  After a short pause he said quietly, "Michael, I'm real happy for ya."

      "Thanks." Michael replied even quieter.  Neither one was used to actually getting along with the other one and neither wanted to wreck it.  Deciding they better not push their luck, they followed the still evident sounds of their friends' voices back to camp.

      The next morning the gang headed back home, only to head back out in Max's Jeep to River Dog.  They said that they had had so much fun the night before that they were going back out on a nature walk.  Max and Maria had decided to go with Michael, Max for any alien trouble, Maria for simple moral support.  

      "Here we are," Max said as he pulled his jeep up to the edge of the woods.

      "Do you want us to wait here?" Maria asked, looking up into Michael's eyes.

      Michael shrugged, which Max and Maria found strange.  They expected him to protest and tell them to stay where they were, but he almost seemed afraid of meeting someone he was related to, like he wasn't sure what he should do.

      "Do you want me to walk with you, you know, keep you company?" Maria asked quietly.

      "Alright," Michael replied even quieter.

      Sensing he was ashamed enough already, Max said, "I'll stay here with the cell phone and the jeep.  You know, in case of anything."  He knew it was a poor excuse, but the only he could come up with so quickly.  

      "C'mon," Maria said, taking Michael's hand in her right hand and waving good-bye to Max with her left.  Max waved back and watched the two of them disappear into the depths of dark green pine needles and foliage.

      Michael and Maria walked on, silently, hand-in-hand, until Michael got sick of the silence, "You think he's like me?"

      "What do you mean?" Maria asked.

      "You know, River Dog…. - I know I can be kinda - hard to deal with sometimes."

      "Sometimes!  More like – well, no," she held up her hands, "No, today's your day and I'm gonna be as supportive as possible.  And yes, I'm guessing he's a lot like you.  Usually dads are.  Well, from what I know about my friends' dads, that is."

      "You wish you had a dad, huh?"

      "Sometimes, yea, I guess.  But then I think that if he thought he was too good for us, then I don't need him anyway. - Michael do you ever notice me trying to be better than you - truthfully?"

      "Not a whole lot……"

      "I'm sorry - I always try to live up to what people think I am, or I try to be better than people.  I guess I'm a lot like my dad."

      "No, Maria.  You're a wonderful person.  You're a lovable person who loves back."

      At that she stopped in her tracks and stared at him for a minute.  Had Michael just said what she thought he said?  The man with no regards for human decency whatsoever?  Actually, Michael appeared even more surprised than she did!

      "Thank you, Michael," Maria said, still trying to absorb this, "You have no idea how much that means coming from - you."

      "Well," Michael said clearing his throat, "Don't get too used to it, 'cause I'm not real into bein' nice.  It drains me."

      "It drains you?" Maria asked, starting to walk again and trying to hold back a smile.  "How does being nice drain you?"

      "It emotionally taxes me."

      "Taxes you?!?!" Maria said, now laughing.

      "Yea, you know, it's like work."

      "Mmmhmm.  I see."

      "Let's just go find my dad."

      "Yea, let's, Spaceboy."

      It didn't take the two very long to find River Dog and when they did, Maria hung back while Michael approached him.

      "River Dog?" He said, "Um, Dad?" His voice wavered on "Dad" but he kept going, "I came back like you said to."

      "Michael," River Dog said, turning around.

      "Hi."

      River Dog's eyes darted to Maria as she introduced herself again, speaking with incredible dictation so he could understand her, "Hel - lo,  - I'm - Ma - ri - a.   - I - come - in - peace. - Re- - mem - ber - me?"

      "Hey, he's not deaf!"

      "Sorry," Maria said.

      "She's my - other, - you know." Michael explained.

      "Um, SIGNIFICANT other!" Maria called out from behind him.

      Michael forced a smile as he said, "You might have to get used to her.  She kinda wanted to come today."

      Maria laughed in disgust, but refrained from saying anything obnoxious as she watched River Dog take hold of Michael's arm and lead him over to the cave Michael had been healed in not too long ago.

      "Michael," River Dog said handing him a stick-like object, "Take this and put it on that end on that rock over there and hold the other.  Focus your energy and crack the rock."

      Maria stood back in fear of rock fragments flying towards her face, but nothing happened.  Michael was standing front of her, holding a stick to a rock and focusing his energy, which she thought he should have a lot of because of the little he'd been putting into her, but nothing happened.  She looked up at River Dog who intently stared and Michael and the rock.  

      Michael broke his stare from the rock and lifted the stick, breathing heavily, "I can't do it."

      "You can, Michael." River Dog said, stepping up to him.

      "Then what am I doing wrong?"

      "You're holding back.  You're not focusing enough."

"What are ya talkin' about?  I focused - I tried to break it."

"Um, River Dog," Maria said, stepping up to them, "Michael does have an attention span problem, as he has openly displayed ever since he met me, but maybe if I helped him….." she trailed off.

"How could you help me?" Michael asked gruffly.

"Let her," River Dog said, "Love has unspeakable energy."

Maria started to crack up as Michael's expressions changed from confusion to horror.

"Let's just try it, Michael," Maria said, trying to regain her composure and stop laughing, "You hold the stick and I'll hold your hand and we'll do this together."

Michael turned to River Dog who nodded in approval and he hesitantly placed his hand on the stick.  Maria put her hand over his and looked into his eyes.  

"Go," River Dog said quietly.

The two started, eyes closed, focusing their energy and in seconds they heard a cracking sound.  Opening their eyes, they saw the rock in two pieces.

"We did it!" Maria cried throwing her arms around Michael.

"Thank you." Michael whispered into her hair.

Maria pulled back and looked at him, "What has gotten into you today?  What's with the kindness?"

"I'm feeling happy today - unusually happy."

Maria and Michael smiled at each other for a few seconds until River Dog said, "Michael alone."

Maria stood back and watched Michael go through the motions again.  He concentrated for a few minutes and managed to crack it.  

"I did it!" Michael yelled.

Maria watched River Dog walk up to him, put his hand on Michael's shoulder and say the words, "I'm proud of you."  She watched as Michael started to beam with happiness.  His father had just told him he was proud of him.  Maria started smiling as well, taking in the joy radiating off of Michael.

They spent two more hours out there, cracking rock after rock and then cracking the halves.  After that, Michael looked a little tired.

"Go home and get some rest," River Dog said as he took the stick from Michael's hands.

"I can do more!" Michael cried, trying to get the stick back.

"Yo, Spaceboy!" Maria called out, "Listen to him.  Take a break and go brag to Max.  C'mon, you deserve it."

Michael finally nodded and stood for a few seconds, uncomfortably, then River Dog held out his arms and Michael fell into them, hugging his father.  Realizing what he just done, Michael quickly pulled away and waved and he started to walk away.  

Maria waited for him to reach her side and when she took his hand, she said softly, "I'm so happy for you."

"Me too." Michael replied.

When the two got back to the Jeep, they found Max asleep, leaning against the inside wall of the car.  Michael threw a rock at the side which made a big "ting" sound and Max jolted awake.

"What was that?" He exclaimed.

"One of the breakable things on this earth!" Michael said, his eyes dancing.

"Michael learned how to break rocks!" Maria said excitedly.

"What?" Max asked.

"River Dog - no, my dad, taught me how to crack rocks."

Max laughed in amusement and in happiness for his best friend, "That's nice…  And different."

Michael smiled and shrugged and climbed in the back of the jeep, Maria right behind him, and they three drove back home.

      The next day, Michael, Maria and Max went back to the woods, and this time Michael took on the task of breaking the rocks without the stick, just focusing, and then with his hand breaking them.  

      "All right, stop now." River Dog said, seeing how exhausted his son was.

      "I'll come back tomorrow." Michael said, thoroughly winded.

      "School." River Dog said.

      "What?"

      "Go to school."

      "But I'm learning all I have to know from you."

      "Go to school, come after." River Dog replied turning away from Michael and starting to walk away.

      "I don't need to know Algebra or world history - I'm not of this world."

      "You go to school!" River Dog yelled, wheeling around to look at Michael, who stepped back like he was being approached by a King Cobra. "When I leave, there will be no one to teach you or bring you home!  You learn about the earth you live on!  You learn how to survive!  You won't likely go home…."

      Michael was so taken aback by this outburst that he was speechless, much to the surprise of Maria who had never seen him in such a state.

      "OK, c'mon, Michael, let's leave," Maria said, trying to take his hand.  He pulled it away.  

      "No." Michael said, looking towards River Dog, "No, you don't have a lot of time here and that's why I want to be here with you.  I've never had a dad.  Hank is like a drunk prison guard.  I want to be able to spend time with my dad before you die!  I want to know what it's like not to feel lonely all the time!"

      "Come back tomorrow after school." River Dog said and walked away.

      Michael also turned and started walking away, the opposite direction, completely forgetting about Maria.  She ran along behind him, trying to catch up.  He finally slowed down at the jeep, which he hopped in and sat silently in.  Maria got in beside him, the ruckus waking up Max.

      "I'm not gonna ask?" Max asked.

      "Nope, just drive, hun." Maria said and settled back against the leather interior.

      The Evans' house appeared quickly before their eyes.  Michael started to get up, but Maria grabbed the sleeve of his coat and pulled him back down.  "Max, give us a minute?" She asked.

      "Yeah, sure." He replied jumping out.  "You know where I am if you need me."

      "Thanks."  

      There was a very long pause that Michael felt he needed to break, "What do you want, Maria?

      "Are you all right?" she asked quietly.

      "Yup." Was his short reply.

      "You know - yelling is what parents do."

      "Yea!" Michael laughed bitterly, "The yelling and screaming is kinda common at my house - place - trailer."

      "Michael," Maria said putting her hand on his arm, "Your dad wants what best for you, that's what all parents want."

      "And I want a million dollars, but you don't see that happening."

      "Michael,"

      "All I want to do is spend time with my dad, who is gonna die very soon.  I want to feel like I have a family.  At least for a little while."

      "Michael - he wants you to know more about the world your living in now, because of your slim chances of ever getting to your native world.  And as for having a family - well, hello!  Who do you think I am?"

      "I mean alien related.  And I know you don't even want to touch that subject."

      "No, no, I warming up to the idea of E.T. being my guy.  You know, I could have worse."

      "Such as?"

      "Well, Dennis Rodman definitely beats you, though now that I think about it, there is a distinct possibility that you are related."

      Michael laughed a little and looked towards Maria, "He is a lot like me, huh?"

      "Rodman?"

      "River Dog."

      "Temper and all, bud." 

      "Great, two of me in the world." He said sarcastically.

      "Yeah, the world's a lucky place." Maria said seriously.

      "You hungry?"

      "You're changing the subject!" Maria said trying not to laugh.

      "No!  I'm hungry!"

      "Yeah, I'm sure."

      "I am!"

      "Fine - fine, let's go mooch off Max."

      And they got out of the jeep and headed into the house.

      Throughout the next few weeks, Michael listened to his father and did attend school, all his classes in fact, which he hadn't done in years.  After school he kept going back with Maria, now "borrowing" her mom's Jetta.  She'd sit on her designated tree stump and do her homework while Michael learned how to change molecular structures the same way Max and Isabel could, create force fields, and how to go into people's dreams like Isabel bragged about doing.  But as she watched, she saw River Dog sitting more and holding his lessons for a shorter time each day, growing progressively weaker each day.  She didn't know if Michael noticed or just pretended that it wasn't happening, but he continued on as usual, more and more proud of himself each day.  He was especially proud of the fact that he had excelled farther that Max, for once in his life.

      But one day when Michael and Maria approached the cave,  River Dog was not in his normal spot, waiting for them.  

      "Dad?" Michael called out.

      Maria watched fear dance in his eyes as he ran around, searching for his father.  Then she heard a groan from deep inside the mouth of the cave.

      "Michael…." She said, walking towards the opening.  He followed her there and hesitantly walked in, afraid of what he might see.  Deep inside he found his father, curled up against the wall of the cave, writing symbols furiously on the side with some weird, red goop.

      Michael rushed to his side, Maria right behind him, and he took him by the shoulders and turned his father to face him.  

      "Dad, what's going on?" he asked shakily.

      "My time is up." River Dog replied.

      "What?  No, no, no that's not true.  That's not happening."

      "This is everything I didn't get to teach you." And he pointed up towards his symbols. "You will know how to read it."

      "No, you can teach me anything, you're not dying, you're-"

      "Michael…" Maria cut him off, putting her hands on his shoulders, but he shrugged them off.

      "Michael, goodbye." River Dog said, roughly placing his callused hand on Michael's cheek.  "I love you.  I will be in the constellations.  I will watch over you and your true love."  And then his hand left Michael's cheek and fell limply against his side.  His eyes had closed, his breathing stopped.

      "Dad…" Michael said fighting back his tears. Maria had given in to hers.  She felt so badly for him.  He was so happy with a father and now had lost him.

      "Michael," she whispered, wiping the tears off her cheeks, "He's gone."

      "No.  No, he isn't."

      "Michael-"

      "Maria, stop it!" He exploded, feeling tears make their way down his face.  He wiped them away with the back of his hand, still not leaving his father's side.  Maria didn't know what to do for him.  He looked so desperate and alone.

      "Michael, you have to let him go, you have to realize he's not with us anymore."

      With that Michael got up, paced for a few seconds, and then slammed his fist into the wall.  Maria got up from the floor and put her arms around him.  He struggled and tried to push her away, but he really didn't have the strength and she didn't let go.  He finally fell forward onto her shoulder, tears streaming down his cheeks, and Maria held him, crying herself.

      "Spaceboy, you've always got me - whenever you need me."

      "I need you, Maria."  

      "I need you too," she replied, though she figured he only said that because of his moment of weakness and he probably wouldn't act needy ever again.  

      The two stayed holding each other for a long time and the next day every member of the gang headed out after school to bury River Dog.  Michael, Max, and Alex handled the digging while Maria, Liz, and Isabel put together River Dog's things to place next to him in the grave.  There was basically nothing said during the crude funeral, but it was meaningful to everyone, especially Michael.  And after River Dog's death, he went back to being normal ol' Michael.  But Maria knew of a better part of him that lay way beneath the exterior.  Only Maria knew.  And that was the way both of them liked it.

 -`-`-`-

THE END!!! REVIEW PLEASE!!!


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